1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to an information processing system and a network type information processing system for managing an input data file for every data unit constructing a data file.
2. Description of the prior art
A conventional information processing system includes an input device, storage device, arithmetic processing device, output device and network communication device, and the input device is connected to the storage device which is further connected to the arithmetic device, the output device and the network communication device.
In the conventional network type information processing system, the network communication device of the information processing system described above is connected to network communication device of other information processing systems via a network.
When the virtual three dimensional space is output, for example, indicated in the output device in the information processing system, the data file which is designed and described by the VRML for outputting the virtual three dimensional space is recorded in the storage device of the information processing system.
Further, when the information processing system outputs the virtual three dimensional space which is shared by the output device of each information processing system constructing the network type information processing system, the information processing systems, in which the data file for outputting the virtual three dimensional space to the storage device is not recorded, receives the data file from the information processing system, in which the data file is recorded in the storage device, via the network, and records the data file all together in the storage device.
VRML is the abbreviation of "Virtual Reality Modeling Language" and it means a virtual reality design language for designing and describing the data file. The virtual three dimensional space is output and expressed to the output device of the information processing system based on the data file which is described in the VRML. The output device of each information processing system where the virtual three dimensional space is output is referred to as a "browser".
The virtual three dimensional space to be output to the output device of each information processing system is output based on the data file which is designed and described by VRML. This data file is designed and described using VRML by the combination of such as the descriptions regarding the geometry of the three dimensional object which is output and expressed in the virtual three dimensional space, the descriptions regarding the operation of this three dimensional object, and the descriptions regarding the sound output together with the virtual three dimensional space.
When the conventional information processing system outputs and expresses the virtual three dimensional space to the output portion, a data file of the combination such as described above is recorded in the storage device of the information processing system.
The virtual three dimensional space is output and expressed to the output device of the information processing system based on the data file combined into one and stored in this storage device.
Therefore, after the data file of a certain virtual three dimension space is recorded in the storage device, it is necessary to re-record the combined data file after detecting and partially revising the related portions of the combined data file, even if the partial modification of the combined description is necessary. For example, when a partial change, such as the shape of the object being expressed in the virtual three dimensional space, a partial change of the motion of the object being expressed in the virtual three dimensional space, and a partial change of the sound output when the virtual three dimensional space being output and expressed, is carried out, it is necessary to detect the related porion from the whole data file in which the description regarding the shape in the geometry of these objects, the description regarding the operation of this virtual three dimensional object and the description regarding the sound output when the virtual three dimensional space is output to the output portion, and to add the partial modification to the corresponding files and then to record the changed portions into the combined files. Therefore, it has been a time consuming and difficult thing to add the modification to the virtual three dimensional space.
For example, when only a change is added to only one of the description regarding the geometry of these objects, regarding the operation of the virtual three dimensional object and regarding the sound output to the output portion, all of the descriptions of the combined data files have to be re-recorded in the storage device.